Mistakes we are making at the gym...

[luminajd]

So I am relatively new to the gym and reading the post on hating cell phone users makes me wonder what I am doing to irritate others who are working out (although I would never dream of talking on my cell in the gym)
What do you see others doing at the gym that you wish they would stop doing/do correctly?
Jessica

[eglionz]

I don't like it when people leave puddles of sweat on machines/benches or when they use equipment to lean on/hang out at while they chit chat.

Don't really care if people use their phones, I always have headphones on.

[genn]

I don't like when people are using the bench press bench or the squat rack to do bicep curl when the gym is full or when you want to use them when there is a whole rack of barbell you can use.

i hate when like 4 people are talking in the middle of the place around machine or bench while they are not working out but they are taking a lot of place and not even bother that other wants to work out.

I ate it when people disturb me while I workout even when I have my headphones on and its worst if it is when you are doing a set.

[medjen]

1. Mop up your sweat

2. Don't curl standing right next to the dumbbell rack, blocking everyone else's access

3. Re-rack your weights

4. Don't walk between people who are mid-set and a mirror if you can help it

There are also a few articles over on the supersite about gym etiquette if you want more dos and don'ts

[varza]

when you on a machine and step away for a second to just rest and someone, without asking if you are still using it, just takes it and ignores you when you ask if you can finish your last set when they stop using it and start to talk to someone else. This happened to me tonight, I had to go back and finish my workout on one of the machines because a talking couple decided to use the machines I was in the middle of using. They had just taken one of the leg machines and refused to give it up because they were in the middle of their workout when I asked politely because they had spend the last 15m talking to someone else in the gym.

Sorry, I had a bad night at the gym. In the middle of my cardio the same couple showed up and were upset because I was using the machine in the middle of three (which was the only one avaible when I started) and they couldn't stand next to each other. Lady kept making rude comments.

[Haybales]

when you on a machine and step away for a second to just rest and someone, without asking if you are still using it, just takes it and ignores you when you ask if you can finish your last set when they stop using it and start to talk to someone else. This happened to me tonight, I had to go back and finish my workout on one of the machines because a talking couple decided to use the machines I was in the middle of using. They had just taken one of the leg machines and refused to give it up because they were in the middle of their workout when I asked politely because they had spend the last 15m talking to someone else in the gym.

Sorry, I had a bad night at the gym. In the middle of my cardio the same couple showed up and were upset because I was using the machine in the middle of three (which was the only one avaible when I started) and they couldn't stand next to each other. Lady kept making rude comments.

Grrr that sucks.

I have never come across someone overly inconsiderate at the gym yet.. Hopefully I don't!

[luminajd]

Thanks for all the input so far, I will keep them in mind!
I will also head over to look for the etiquette articles...
Jessica

[hsmosny]

I totally hate when Im at the gym and men especially leave 10 45lbs plates on the leg press...i dont have a lot of upper arm strength and after taking off half of them im exhausted...it just takes a minute to put your crap away!!!


and when people bring there kids in the gym with them and dont watch them let them play with the machines and weights!!! i.e the other day some 8 year old was playing with the weights and would take them up shoulder height and just drop them...it was just 10 lbs weights but still it is loud and throws off people

[smariejohnson]

So I am relatively new to the gym and reading the post on hating cell phone users makes me wonder what I am doing to irritate others who are working out (although I would never dream of talking on my cell in the gym)
What do you see others doing at the gym that you wish they would stop doing/do correctly?
Jessica

I absolutely cannot stand it when an idiot is trying get my attention while I am on the treadmill. I see him just staring out out of the corner of my eye. Now it's 4am and I am grumpy as heck in the morning so I just looked at him real mean and said "Is there something wrong with your eyes? What? WHAT?" Needless to say he stopped staring!!

The group of guys at KBR gym that spend over an hour doing ridiculous ab exercises. NONE of them have a hint of abdominals but feel the need to tell me how to maintain my abs.

Stinky people!

The man who comes in in street gear and hops on the treadmill!

The dang couple in KBR gym who act like it will kill them to do cardio on two treadmills that are not next to eachother. From now on I am purposely taking up the middle treadmill!!!!

[kitebean]

Yea, people do inconsiderate things,.

But

The biggest mistake I make in the gym is not getting in full ROM or extension because I am ego lifting. I need to really REALLY concentrate on my FORM and get the full benefit of the exercise rather than cheating myself!

[Big Slim DaDDy]

You guys aren't wearing enough spandex shorts and tube tops.

[eglionz]

You guys aren't wearing enough spandex shorts and tube tops.

Neither are you. D:

[wantfirmcurves]

I totally hate when Im at the gym and men especially leave 10 45lbs plates on the leg press...i dont have a lot of upper arm strength and after taking off half of them im exhausted...it just takes a minute to put your crap away!!!

^^^^ Yeah, this is effing annoying!!

[needforchange]

People that go up to you trying to give you advice but have no idea what they're talking about. Some guy came up to me and told me to stop going below parellel on my squats or I'd injure my knees. I've done a lot of research about this and that is just not true. I laugh when I watch him load up the weights for his squats and do 1/10th of a squat. I'm sure I could squat tons of weight too if I barely bent my knees!

Same guy also came up to my bench rack I was using that had weights on it and started using it when there were three other benches free. I had walked away for a whole ten seconds. If you see weights on the bar don't you think MAYBE someone might be using it and you should find out before you steal it?

[a3ki66]

luckily I train with guys, so I really don't have to worry about other people getting in my way between sets. but it has happened before. our gym is pretty respectful and understanding. people stay in their little areas and mind their own business. with a few exceptions. most of these exceptions are avoided by simply going to the gym during the day, not evening.
my main pet peeves are just the same as most of yours... lolly gagging around equipment with no intention of using it. i'm real quick to ask people to get out of my way. i'm their for business, not b.s. flirting is a huge one. (again, i work out with my husband and our buddies- so i no longer have to worry about it) on a side note though, if you want to meet someone at the gym (it's not a bad idea) wait until AFTERWARDS! not while the chic is running 10+mph with her headphones full blast! common sense. lol. the cell phone thing doesn't bother me, if its an important call. but not to just bull****. i know that if i got a call during my cardio and i was thinking it might be a job opportunity or something else important, i would probably take it (i use my phone as my mp3 player) but during weight training, my phone is on silent and in the bottom of my gym bag! muscle comes before any and everything at that time!
about the 1/10ths of a squat guy! we have those. its awesome. we call them the "b" team. they go up in weight for each set, but they are barely doing a rep. i cant stand people who are act all "badass" but don't have perfect form and are trying to show off or out do the guy next to them. i guess it's a guy thing. ha ha.
how the chics lined up waiting for the tanning beds, but haven't touched a machine in the gym! those kind irk me so much! do some cardio while you wait! hey there are machines right next to the tanning beds, try one! i mean really!?
anyway, i guess i really didn't add anything, did i? lol

[varza]

Grrr that sucks.

I have never come across someone overly inconsiderate at the gym yet.. Hopefully I don't!

I hope you don't either... its only this one couple that does it and it drives me nuts. Now, when I see them I head to the free weight area and let them have the machines.

Stinky people!

I hate it when someone gets on the cardio machine next to me reaking of cigarette smoke

The man who comes in in street gear and hops on the treadmill!

I don't understand that... esp the ones in flip flops?[/QUOTE]

[a3ki66]

i'm guilty of the cigarette smoke thing... i smoke before i get to the gym. i should work on that. and i do apologize for offending you. i guess we smokers don't really realize how bad we smell. lol. maybe the sweat covers it up? lol. ew. it probably makes it that much worse, huh? yuk!

[Big Slim DaDDy]

Neither are you. D:

Hell naw.

[varza]

i'm guilty of the cigarette smoke thing... i smoke before i get to the gym. i should work on that. and i do apologize for offending you. i guess we smokers don't really realize how bad we smell. lol. maybe the sweat covers it up? lol. ew. it probably makes it that much worse, huh? yuk!

most smokers aren't that bad... I can generally deal with a bit of cigarette smell but there is a couple of people at my gym that are really really bad. Like pigpen from charlie brown... you can see the fumes at times. I have a feeling you aren't like that.

But generally yeah, its part of it. I never realized how I smelled when I smoked. Course being an ex-smoker I am generally more, whats the word, sensitive to the scent then most.

[trance__dreamer]

the creepy middle-aged guys who hit on me constantly. but i seem to have the utmost respect from the guys my age, though.

also, teen girls (or anyone in general for that matter) who would rather die than sweat/get messy hair/etc while picking up the pace/intensity on the cardio machine. (& for the pple who actually do make an effort, they look around aimlessly & look miserable. would it kill you to bring a music player to make it a bit more tolerable?!) they'd also probably rather slit their wrists than pick up a weight, especially a weight that's 75%+ of their 1r.m, i.e.: heavy. *sigh* must i be the only female who actually gives a damn @ my gym? i don't like the attention it gets me. =S but the admiration/respect/awe is really neat, though. =)

lastly, pple, (especially young women my age/teen girls) who get all emotional/frusterated when they look @ the scale a million times an hour. seriously...what the christ. o__O i think it's humerous. but they're putting themselves through un-needed emotional torture. =S

[stephypoo]

I need serious advice on weights workouts. I did a major arm/shoulder workout yesterday, (3-4 sets each, 8-10 reps to failure) and I can't tell I did anything today. When I try to up the weight - my form goes bad... I thought if I had muscle soreness that meant I worked out hard and am growing muscle. Should I be doing more reps (so I can feel the burn before muscle failure)? I did a double drop set a few weeks ago that just seemed to scratch the surface...Any advice is welcome!

[lopaw]

My biggest pet peeve are the a-holes who drop the obviously-too-heavy-for them dumbbells they are trying to lift - repeatedly.
I can see dropping a weight to the ground from about knee level....but from waist or chest level??

C'mon, you assclown! Knock it off!!!

Nothing screams "amateur" to me more than this oh-so-impressive move.

[eglionz]

People whose stuff is scattered all over the place so you can never tell what they are using or not using. :<

Worse when their stuff is scattered all over and you can't even find them to ask.

[varza]

People whose stuff is scattered all over the place so you can never tell what they are using or not using. :<

Worse when their stuff is scattered all over and you can't even find them to ask.

I leave my stuff on machines when I have to run to the bathroom. But not all over the place. I generally leave my towel and water bottle on the water bottle holder or under the seat - out of the way. But only when I can't wait any longer.

I need serious advice on weights workouts. I did a major arm/shoulder workout yesterday, (3-4 sets each, 8-10 reps to failure) and I can't tell I did anything today. When I try to up the weight - my form goes bad... I thought if I had muscle soreness that meant I worked out hard and am growing muscle. Should I be doing more reps (so I can feel the burn before muscle failure)? I did a double drop set a few weeks ago that just seemed to scratch the surface...Any advice is welcome!

Its hard to say - how much weight are you trying to go up? U may have to change something - the move since it sounds like your muscles are getting used to what you are doing.

[hsmosny]

I hate the fact that when heavier women just use the hip adductor and abductor machines and think that they are gonna get in shape that way...ummm no!!! just doing 3 sets of 10 isnt gonna do anything for you.

also the people that just use the machines half assed...if your going to use the machines to get grr as me and my bf say(inside joke) use the machines fully dont put it on 10lbs and assume that its going to do anything for you.

and clean up your nasty sweat spots off of the seat or bench i dont want to put my head down to bench press and lay in a pool of sweat...maybe its because im a nurse and im a germ freak idk